A new study has found that individuals who drink in amounts exceeding federal dietary guidelines have an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome associated with cardiovascular disease, ScienceDaily reported July 31.

Amy Fan, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and colleagues looked at a group of current drinkers who had participated in the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers found that individuals who binge drank or used alcohol in amounts usually exceeding two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women were at increased risk for the metabolic syndrome.

The syndrome consists of a number of risk factors and conditions, including obesity and high blood pressure, that have a strong link with cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the nation's leading cause of death.

"Since more than half of current drinkers in our study drank in excess of the Dietary Guidelines limits and reported binge drinking, prevention efforts should focus on reducing alcohol consumption to safer levels," Fan said. "Unfortunately, few physicians screen their patients about alcohol use or are knowledgeable about guidelines that define low-risk or moderate drinking."

The research will be published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.